“Bionovo's novel selective estrogen receptor beta agonist has shown great promise in Phase 2 clinical testing to effectively treat hot flashes and Menerba's safety profile appears superior to currently available hormone therapies. I am eager to launch clinical testing in Europe and believe, if approved, Menerba will be in great demand by women seeking a safe and effective treatment for hot flashes.”

–Marco Gambacciani, M.D.
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Menopause Research Clinic, Santa Chiara University Hospital in Pisa, Italy.

Medical Advisory Board

Bionovo has an esteemed medical advisory board which provides the company with expertise in areas of health including menopause, breast cancer, cell biology, immunology, hormonal and metabolic disorders, biostatistics and pharmaceutical development.

Mary Cushman, M.D.
Dr. Mary Cushman is an Associate Professor of Medicine; Hematology/Oncology at the University of Vermont, Fletcher Allen Health Care, as well as the Director of the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program at the University of Vermont. She was awarded the prestigious Clinical Scientist Development Award from the National Health, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Dr. Cushman was an invited guest speaker at the NHLBI 50th Anniversary Celebration Fall Advisory Council. Dr. Cushman also serves on the Leadership Committee and is the Program Chair for the Spring Scientific Conference of the American Heart Association’s Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.

Dr. Mary Cushman graduated Cum Laude from the University of Vermont with a Baccalaureate degree in Biology. She graduated from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1989 and completed her post-doctoral training at the University of Vermont from 1989-1992. She completed a fellowship in Hematology at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care. In 1996, Dr. Cushman also earned a Masters of Science in Epidemiology from Harvard University School of Public Health.

Marco Gambacciani, M.D.
Dr. Marco Gambacciani is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology “Piero Fioretti”, Santa Chiara University Hospital, Pisa, Italy. He graduated in 1978 from the University of Pisa, and finished his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1982. In 1986 he completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology, at the Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Diego. Since 1987 he has served as Director of the Menopause Research Clinic, at the Santa Chiara University Hospital in Pisa. Dr Gambacciani is a member of numerous National and International Professional Societies, and served as a member of the Executive Committee of the International Menopause Society. Dr Gambacciani is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the European Menopause and Andropause Society. He has been a guest faculty member, invited speaker, visiting professor and course director worldwide. He is the author of over 120 papers published in peer reviewed international journals. Dr Gambacciani’s clinical and research focus includes various aspects of gynecological endocrinology, contraception, biology of the menopause and perimenopausal years, osteoporosis, and risks and benefits associated with postmenopausal hormone use.

Steven Goldstein, M.D.
Dr. Steven Goldstein is the Director of Gynecologic Ultrasound at New York University Medical Center; he is also the current 1st Vice President of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. He has authored many textbooks including: Endovaginal Ultrasound, Ultrasound in Gynecology and Textbook in Perimenopausal Gynecology. Additionally, he has authored more than a dozen textbook chapters and over 55 original research articles. He has been a guest faculty member, invited speaker, visiting professor or course director over 295 times in the United States and worldwide. He is the author of two recently released books: Could it Be... Perimenopause? and The Estrogen Alternative. He is one of the most highly recognized and regarded individuals in the field of vaginal ultrasound. Dr. Goldstein graduated Magna Cum Laude from Colgate University with a Baccalaureate degree in Biology. He graduated from the New York University School of Medicine in 1975 and completed his internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas from 1975–1976. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University Affiliated Hospital/Bellevue Hospital Center from 1976–1980. He has been serving as clinical instructor at New York University School of Medicine since 1980 and as a fully tenured Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 1996.

Deborah Grady, M.D., M.P.H.Dr. Deborah Grady is Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and of Medicine, Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research, Vice Chair of the Department of Epidemiology, and Director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Women's Health Clinical Research Center and the UCSF Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Program. Dr. Grady is an expert on menopause and the risks and benefits associated with the use of postmenopausal hormone therapy. Dr. Grady received the Chancellor's Award for the Advancement of Women in 2000 and the UCSF Mentor of the Year award in 2001. Dr. Grady was also recently appointed as one of five UCSF Scientists to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Academy of Sciences. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

James Pickar, M.D.
Dr. James Pickar served as Assistant Vice President of Clinical Research and Development at Wyeth Research for over twelve years. Prior to that, Dr. Pickar held several other positions in Clinical Research and Development at Wyeth Research, dating back to 1985. Dr. Pickar is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University, and he has served on the Board of Directors for the International Menopause Society since 2005. In addition, Dr. Pickar has over 25 years of clinical research experience. He has received numerous academic and scientific appointments and is author of over 65 papers published in peer reviewed international journals.

Mary Tagliaferri, M.D., L.Ac.Dr. Tagliaferri has over 15 years experience in translational research with the University of California, San Francisco and Bionovo, Inc. Dr. Tagliaferri has spearheaded multiple scientific R&D projects to develop pharmaceutical agents for indications in women's health and cancer. As one of the co-founders of Bionovo, Inc., she has extensive experience with FDA regulatory affairs and she has successfully filed a number of Investigational New Drug Licenses (INDs). She has been involved in all aspects of drug development, from preclinical testing to developing FDA approved protocols for clinical trials. As the President, Chief Medical Office, Chief Regulatory Officer, and Chairman of Bionovo's Medical Advisory Board, she manages and directs the daily activities of all clinical research projects that have been outsourced to prestigious medical centers throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Tagliaferri, a graduate from Cornell University, received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. She also holds a Master's degree in traditional Chinese medicine from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Debasish Tripathy, M.D.Dr. Debasish Tripathy is Professor of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) and Co-Leader of the Women's Cancer Program at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. He holds the Priscilla and Art Ulene Chair in Women's Cancer. Prior to joining USC, Dr. Tripathy served as Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He also served as the Director of the Komen/UT Southwestern Breast Cancer Research Program and held the Annette Simmons Distinguished Chair in Breast Cancer Research. Dr. Tripathy has over 20 years of laboratory and clinical research experience. He was one of the pioneers that brought Herceptin through early and late stage clinical testing on behalf of Genentech to FDA approval of the first monoclonal antibody for breast cancer. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the highly acclaimed Heroes Award, from the Breast Cancer Fund. Additionally, he has co-authored many books including "Breast Cancer: Beyond Convention" with world renowned physicians. Dr. Tripathy received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Duke University and fellowship at the Cancer Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.

Wulf H. Utian, M.D.
Wulf H. Utian is one of the world’s most significant authorities on menopause and women’s health. Dr. Utian is the Executive Director Emeritus and Honorary Founding President of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS); the Arthur H. Bill Professor Emeritus of Reproductive Biology, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine; Consultant in Gynecology and Women’s Health, The Cleveland Clinic; Visiting Professor, University of Cape Town, South Africa (2007-2012); and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Rapid Medical Research, where he is an active research investigator. Previously, he was Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center of Cleveland, and then at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Chairman of Reproductive Biology at Case Western Reserve University.

He has studied the metabolic and psychosocial aspects of hormones and menopause for over 40 years. During his career, Dr. Utian has written over 200 papers related to women’s health, and has authored five books on menopause. He is Honorary Founding Editor of Menopause, NAMS official scientific journal, and was Editor of Menopause Management, a NAMS-endorsed publication, from its inception in 1987 until December 2009. Dr. Utian has served on the NAMS Board of Trustees since he founded the Society in 1989. He is also one of the three original Founders in 1976 of the International Menopause Society, of which he is Honorary Past President, and serves on a number of national and international committees.

A dedicated advocate for women’s health, Dr. Utian has achieved national and international recognition for his work and is interviewed regularly by the world’s leading media. He is the recipient of numerous national and international honors and awards. He has personally inspired many physicians and researchers to focus their work on menopause, not only improving the treatment of women around the age of menopause, but also expanding the research that informs such practice. His personal passion is the translation of research findings into best medical practices.

Ethan Weiss, M.D.
Dr. Ethan Weiss is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Weiss earned his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and he completed his internship and residency at the John Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Weiss came to the University of California, San Francisco in 1998 as a cardiology fellow where he spent three years under the scientific mentorship of Dr. Shaun Coughlin in the Cardiovascular Research Institute studying the effects of thrombin signaling in platelets. He then completed his clinical fellowship and served as Chief Cardiology Fellow in 2002. Dr Weiss' clinical focus includes acute care cardiology, coronary artery disease and general cardiology with special interests in thrombosis, preventive cardiology, and acute coronary syndromes. Dr. Weiss' laboratory uses forward genetic models to enhance the understanding of mechanisms of hemostasis and thrombosis. In addition, his group is working to understand mechanisms of sex differences in blood clotting and to define the mechanisms whereby estrogen increases the risk of clotting.

Janet Wittes, Ph.D.
Janet Wittes, Ph.D., founded Statistics Collaborative, Inc. (SCI) in 1990. She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the Society for Clinical Trials (SCT), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. She holds membership in the Royal Statistical Society, the International Biometric Society, the SCT, and the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics, and currently is the Associate Editor of Clinical Trials.

For the five-year term from 1994 through 1998, she was Editor in Chief of Controlled Clinical Trials, the official journal of the SCT. She served on the Editorial Advisory Committee for the journal for ten years. In 2006, she was awarded the Janet L. Norwood Award for outstanding achievement by a woman in the statistical sciences. She is also listed in the 2009 edition of Who’s Who in America. Dr. Wittes is a member of many advisory committees, including a large number of Data Monitoring Committees (DMCs) for randomized clinical trials sponsored by both industry and government. She chairs the DMCs for several large multi-center trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She served a four-year term as a member of the Circulatory System Devices Panel at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (1999–2003) and has been a member of several ad hoc FDA Advisory Panels. Her previous positions include those of Biostatistician, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program, West Haven, Connecticut (1989–90), and Chief, Biostatistics Research Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (1983–89). She is the author of many publications in statistical methods and applications. Her research has focused on the design and analysis of randomized clinical trials, capture recapture methods in epidemiology, sample size recalculation problems in clinical studies, and incorporation of subjective outcomes in clinical trials. She lectures frequently on topics related to clinical trials. She received her B.A. in Mathematics from Radcliffe College (1964) and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Statistics from Harvard University (1965, 1970).